Reviews

The Shadows of Rookhaven by Pádraig Kenny

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lionesskeeper's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

francosteen's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I love this gothic world and family! I also didn't think I'd love this book as much as the first, but it was just so enjoyable that I stayed up way past my usual bedtime and finished it in a day!

Getting introduced to a few more members of the Family was fun, even if they weren't fun characters to know, haha. Winthrop was a great new addition to the story too.

I truly love the themes of (a chosen) family, understanding and working through grief, and just trust in one another - seeing that there can be good in even the worst of people or their pasts.

Highly recommend this duology!

rachelkat's review

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

adamskiboy528491's review against another edition

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4.0

The Shadows of Rookhaven by Padraig Kenny is another gothically ravishing instalment of the Rookhaven series! Like its predecessor, the book deals with the moralities of emotionally complex individuals despite their appearances. But love prevails in this book, just like it does in the Adams Family, which this book is inspired. Again, The story is wildly imaginative, with fantastic descriptions throughout; I found myself immersed in the world created in this book.

I was most excited about Edward Bettison’s collaboration of illustrations to the sequel. He added more to the gothic atmosphere and quality to the reader’s imagination. The tension and suspense juxtaposing the images were spot-on! Mr Kenny develops the emotions and edge-of-your-seat material fabulously, especially when the short chapters are quick with their changing viewpoints kept my interest throughout. Not just suspense, the story also added a lot of heart-wrenching moments to the table. Aside from its violent moments, there are reasonably mature simplicities for young readers as well.